the Black Beasts
by Shakalos123
Summary: Remember the Abyss Mode in Chronophantasma and Central fiction, where you buff up your favorite characters to high hell in a battle gauntlet? well, what if i told you that it was an actual thing? RagnaxHarem, OP Ragna, and AU ahead.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey readers.**

 **If you all were wondering what the absolute fuck I was doing besides updating, well…**

 **I had to catch up a lot on my int. algebra course**

 **I can only have internet at my library**

 **And I was busy combing through Shinigami 16.**

 **Back to the main point. I noticed that Blazblue hasn't been getting enough love in the fanfic department, so here's why this is happening.**

 **So… do any of you remember Chronophantasma extend, and its abyss mode? Y'know the battle gauntlet that lets you buff up your character to high holy hell, while going down to an endless battle chain? And you get rewarded even if you lose?**

 **Well… what if I told you that it was an actual thing? Interested? Good.**

 **This is what happens when Ragna journeys deeper into the dark abyss, with his trusty new partner… Black beast…..**

… **..**

 **So here's the story of the Black Beasts!**

 **(I don't own Blazblue)**

 **Ps. since i couldn't really find their actual ages, i decided to wing it.**

 **Ragna: 22 years old (15 years in this chapter)**

 **Jubei: 100+ years old**

 **Black beast: 100+ years old**

* * *

We start our story 7 years back to the past, before Ragna fell into the infinite time loop in calamity trigger. it was a full year after Jubei left him, his training now complete and having no need to stick around.

Deciding that he should put his curiosity to rest, Ragna ventures toward a closed off area he managed to find during his training.

You see, when he first found it, Jubei was... quite insistent on keeping him away from there. Silly cat. You should know by now how this works; keeping them away only makes them want it more.

When he asked the cat man why he should stay away, he was told that it housed loads of concentrated seither, and whoever goes in there couldn't handle that much seither at once.

After the brief lecture about seither, again, this discussion was dropped afterwards, but Ragna couldn't help but wonder about the forbidden area, his curiosity slowly devouring him whole as time went on.

Ignoring the various keep out signs, Ragna promptly placed one foot into the seither enriched area.

Then another...

Then four more steps...

By the time he stopped, he couldn't see the entrance anymore due to the weird fog everywhere. Before he could question this, he felt a twinge of pain from his right arm... which began to increase in pain.

"w-what the?!" he screamed in pain.

Suddenly images flooded him mind, most of them were random, but he could tell that some of them had him, his brother, this weird blond princess girl, and what looked like Saya in it.

The last thing he heard before blacking out was a deep feral chuckle, and the words...

"We have much to discuss about... Bloodedge."

* * *

Opening his eyes, Ragna could only see pitch black darkness. Feeling nothing underneath him, he sat up...

Or at least tried to.

Finding out that there was nothing for him to sit up on, he looked around and saw nothing. Just a pitch black void with the only inhabitants are him and that shadow over there...

Wait shadow?

Turning around, Ragna came face to face with a giant creature that was so black, he nearly mistook it as more of the dark realm of nothingness around him. The only thing he can make out from the figure was that it had several heads, looked draconic, and blood red veins lined up along the body, glowing the same glow as the vermillion eyes each head used to gaze at HIM...

"OH CRAP!" the boy screamed. Trying to look for an escape route, Ragna slowly backed away from the multi headed dragon creature.

 _Don't even bother looking for a way out; there are none._ Eight separate voices, four male and four female, spoke in perfect sync.

Looking around, Ragna slowly looked towards the eight headed serpent.

"d-did you j-just t-talk!?" Ragna stuttered.

 _Yes. We have spoken young one. And as we've said, we have much to talk about._

"Who are you? What are you!? WHERE AM I!?"

 _Silence child, and we shall answer your question._

"..." Ragna stopped yelling and stared intently at the beast, weapon ready and cautiously gazing up at the eight pairs of eyes.

 _Now then... first, we go by many names... second, we believe the humans called us "Black Beast"... and third, we are in a special place that can be accessible through your mind._

"The Black Beast... you're the one who devastated the world right?"

 _Correct, it surprises us that you said that with curiosity, but that isn't why we are here..._

"Then why **_are_** we here then?" Ragna snarled.

 _This might take a while to answer..._

"Well I've got nothing else to do... i just finished learning from Jubei."

 _To put it simply; we are the same._

"Huh?" Ragna asked, surprised by the answer.

 _Your right arm... unlike our minions, are the literal remains of who we once were. You are us, and we are you._

"My... right arm?" glancing at his obsidian colored limb, he noticed that it started to glow a deep red aura.

 _Your goal was to get revenge on the one who made you suffer. Yuki Terumi to our knowledge... but you're too weak to face him in your state and learning pace... that is why we have a proposition for you._

"Who are you calling wea- wait... proposition?" Ragna half cried in rage, before catching onto the last part.

 _We can give you the power needed to beat Terumi, all we want in return is to be unleashed._

"And there it is!"

 _...what?"_

If i release you of whatever, then wouldn't you go on a rampage again?" Ragna asked skeptically.

 _No. remember when we said we are you? That means literally as well. As long as you're in control, we're in control. Besides we can't really do any real damage thanks to the damned IDEA engine bound to us._

That's when Ragna finally noticed it, a faint glowing light that's centered at the very core of the eight headed serpent.

"... I'm listening..."

 _There are closed off areas filled to the brim with concentrated seither. With the right amount of control, seither, and a bit of memory, we can construct powerful training adversaries to fight you. Should you defeat them, you absorb them and the seither you absorb increases our power._

"Wait. Why make opponents if all we're doing is absorbing seither? Shouldn't I be dead by now from seither exposure?"

 _Do you really think that we, the Black Beast, can't handle the energy we generated? Besides, you need more actual battle experience don't you?_

"Yeah."

 _Then that's your answer... now then, we will need some memories for this to work... who do you know that can fight?_

"Hmmm..." Ragna tried to think of anyone who he remembers that can fight off the top of his head.

"Well, there's Jin, Jubei, this blonde princess i saw in a vision, she looks powerful... oh and i remember Jubei showing me a picture of him with a witch woman... i think that's it though..."

 _that's not a big roster, but we can work with this... we'll add our memories of powerful opponents as well... now then, it's time to train... and one more thing._

"What?"

 _Wake up._

* * *

Jolting up in a start, Ragna narrowly avoided being skewered by a blade made of ice. Looking up to the attacker, he couldn't help but falter when he saw that it was...

"What the hell!? Jin!?" Ragna shouted.

 _That is not your brother, Halfling._ The familiar chorus of voices said.

"What the? Then who the hell is he? Where are you!? And who're you calling a Halfling"

 _We're communicating through your arm. You have vampire blood flowing through your veins, thus making you a Halfling. And take a closer look at the man._

Looking back at the 'Jin', Ragna found that while he looks a lot like his brother, his entire color scheme was completely different. Instead of the usual colors he saw him in, this 'jin' was mostly black and red, and the only other color was a whitish pale lavender mop of hair and red eyes.

"His entire color scheme is different? Is this one of your _"powerful Adversaries"_ Black Beast?" Ragna questioned.

Yes it is, now then... shall we begin your training?

"...sure. Punching him in the face sound **_fucking_** therapeutic right now!" and with that, Ragna rushed towards his opponent, weapon drawn.

* * *

 **and that's a wrap.**

 **sorry if this is going by a bit too fast. if you read any of my other fics, then you should know that i suck at world building despite my overloading imagination.**

 **next chapter will be the present, and right when Calamity trigger starts, also, i'm adding a thing in this from central fiction as well; the concept of equipable Grimoires and skills.**

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Black Beast 2!**

 **at this point, it's the start of calamity trigger, where Ragna just entered Kagutsuchi, however, he's not alone. there are seven other members with him and you'll see more later on. also i did a bit of combing through chapter one, so that should be a bit more accurate. also, the black beast with the IDEA engine? how'd that happen? that's being briefly explained this chapter.**

 **also, the Ragna here will be just as strong as the Ragna in chronophantasma, so he'll be pretty beefed up. what? you want numbers? oh fine! here's the run down:**

 **Ragna: Lvl. 50/100**

 **HP:766584000/766584000**

 **Atk: 590**

 **Def: 600**

 **Ht: 300**

 **Spd: 475**

 **personal skills (13/15 used): Red Blood sucker (Ragna only): special attacks will drain more Hp from enemies to heal Ragna. cost 5**

 **Regeneration: healing factor. cost 1**

 **Limit Break: stats increase while in overdrive. cost 1**

 **Beautiful charm: halves damage from females. might cause women to be infatuated with him. cost 1**

 **Turn unlimited: triggers unlimited mode at will (Quintouples stats, and triples special attack absorbing effect with red blood sucker). cost 5**

 **Grimoire: Azure Grimoire EX (Max proficiency)**

 **Atk: 689/999**

 **Def: 500/999**

 **Spd: 603/999**

 **Ht: 300/999**

 **Hp: 795/999**

 **set skills**

 **stat boosts lv. 9**

 **Book of the Wise lv. 8**

 **yes i know, that's OP in this time, but i specifically said that this would be an OP Ragna. and this isn't even at maxed out points. like fave, and review and let's begin.**

* * *

7 years.

that's all it took for Ragna to grow from newbie swordsman to veteran level swordmaster. wanting to know more about what exactly he was getting into, he asked the black beast Everything...

and boy was there a lot.

first off, the black beast that was talking to him actually came from the future. obscene i know, but let me explain. after Ragna merged with Amateratsu/Saya, something happened. the black beast thought that it was a way to repent for all the carnage they created in their wake, so they were all down for it. that weird something was one last phenomena intervention specifically aimed for the Black beast, that separated themselves from the Ragna at that time, and ended up being sealed in the current Ragna. the only thing strange about this was that that wasn't the only thing that came back.

the IDEA engine was still linked to the black beast, hence why it came back with them in this timeline.

got that? good. now then.

Next up, the Black beast introduced Ragna to the Seither Tuning Attribute Slots, or STATS, which allows for Ragna to convert Seither into power by altering it to his body into several areas/"slots". despite what people would've thought, Ragna wanted to be an All round fighter that could adapt to situations easily. along with that, Ragna notice certain slots on his Azure Grimoire. when he asked the Black Beast, they said that those were for unique abilities that could be added to amplify his power even more. the only catch was that it was kind of a hassle to find them.

overtime, Ragna fought many people from the wide roster the black beast seemed to have within their memory. this resulted in many people he never really met yet. however there were seven specific variants within this roster that Ragna started to like. with the Black beast's permission and help, Ragna shifted the seither to form physical forms of these seven individuals, in which he personally added extra persona and names to:

Moka Alucard: the base being Rachel Alucard, Moka lacks the tone and aura of superiority usually found in the original. however, she makes up for it in expertise on stealth, MMA, adaptability, and unique abilities different from Rachel. the one thing that makes her... off per say, is that she's Obliviously perverted (she does perverted things occasionally, but she doesn't know that it's considered such.)

Umbra: the base being Kokonoe Mercury, by the black beast. compared to kokonoe, umbra's a lot more positive in terms of behavior, and usually seen running around doing something. Umbra specializes in a combination of Magic and science, which allows her to use spells that's exclusive to herself, such as turning things into sweets, or summoning energy cannons from nowhere. she has a gigantic sweet tooth, and thanks to her heightened metabolism, Umbra can devour mountains of sweets and still ask for more.

Ketsueki: the base being Jubei, this variant actually acts more cat than person. besides standing on his hind legs and interacting like a bipedal figure could, Ketsueki can only speak in cat meows, purrs and hisses. Ketsueki has a short temper when provoked, and ruthless with or without his blade.

Kaguya: the base being nine the phantom, this variant acts more like the mother figure most of the time. much like umbra, Kaguya studied and created two more elements in addition to fire, water, and wind (light and dark), greatly increasing her variety of magic. this however is still underdeveloped and at the very moment not very powerful.

Ruby: the base being Es, by the black beast. this variant, unlike the original, actually has a quirky, cheerful, child like attitude and persona. significantly faster than the original, Ruby focuses more on giving her enemies no time to rest and counter attack. she has a strange fondness for cookies though...

Sebastian: the base being Naoto. this base acts similar to Ruby, however, he's quite protective of the next person, as if she was his little sister. he fights more along the lines of CQC and sometimes includes his bloodscythe into the combos he makes. he doesn't have soul eater, but he does have altered special attacks based on who he hits. he seems to have a crush on Ruby though.

Dahlia/Omega No.15: the base being Nu no. 13 by the black beast. she's objectively the second shortest of the group, the first being Moka. unlike the sadistic original, Dahlia spends more time either napping or hanging around Sebastian. one might think that she's jealous of Ruby, but in reality, Dahlia actually encourages the two to be together. she uses a pistol that mechashifts into various guns instead of a giant sword/armor combo like most murakumo units.

these seven variants proved to be better than the other ones, so he decided to team up and form the new group simply known as...

the Black Beasts.

* * *

(Kagutsuchi, 2199)

"alright everyone, you know what to do." Ragna said, not even looking back at the seven cloaked figures behind him.

"search around for clues of the NOL branch." the shortest of the group said.

"then find the cauldron and destroy it." the male next to her finished.

"right. let's go everyone."

 _Ragna... i feel something bad in the direction of Kagutsuchi... be careful._

"thanks, i'll be on the lookout." Ragna said before thinking to himself for a moment.

"on second thought..."

* * *

Rachel Alucard rarely breaks out of her composure. On the off chance that she does lose her composure, it was a sight to behold. Anyone who knew her personally would have brought a camera to record the whole spectacle, then worship it in belief that something like that never happens afterwards. In addition to this, Rachel like to believe that she has mastered her poker face, allowing her to mask her emotions to keep up her image of superiority. She has to; her pride and family name are on the line.

So it's of no surprise that the current events unfolding right now was a spectacle worth watching.

let's rewind a tiny bit, shall we?

we start at the Alucard mansion, Rachel just did what she normally did at this time of day. before she got up, however, she felt it.

the gigantic surge of siether that appears to be collected near the entrance of Kagutsuchi. the worse part was that it was completely familiar. the only thing that could possibly have this much energy at once...

Ragna the Bloodedge.

ever since he started destroying the cauldrons, she couldn't get an exact reading on the male. he destroyed the cauldron then move to the nearest seither enriched area. that kept throwing her off completely. since there was so much damn seither, Ragna was insensible whenever he managed to enter the place. at first she ignored it, opting to believe that he died from seither exposure, but then it caught her interest when she found Ragna destroying the next cauldron, Faster, stronger, and way before the time came to destroy the damn place.

when she looked back at the last place he was in, the siether enriched area, she was shocked to find that most to all of the seither was gone and people started to rehabilitate the place left behind.

that was before the next thing that happened afterwards.

there has been reports saying that there were multiple sightings of cauldron destroyers. each one with a different description. this made it even harder for Rachel to get a read on Ragna, and by the 9th cauldron, she found something that made her spit out her tea. there were eight of them...

aside from Ragna, there were seven other people wearing pitch black cloaks with red lines around them, each of them following Ragna. the best part was when she found out that Ragna of all people was leading this group.

It was at this moment that Rachel felt something she thought she'd never even had the pleasure to feel; Fear.

If there were eight of these people, then what the hell were they even doing!? mostly all of the cauldrons could've been destroyed by them fast enough. before she was about to give in to the temptation to throw something, she heard a knock on the door.

"madam? is everything alright?" oh thank god it was just Valkenhayn. these current events was starting to make her paranoid.

"yes, Valkenhayn. my apologies, but i'm currently in a... certain predicament, that i much prefer to solve in private."

"but of course, madam Rachel." Valkenhayn turns before he remembered why he actually came. "Pardon my rudeness, madam, but that was not the reason why i came here."

"Oh... what is it then?" Rachel was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

"I have managed to encounter that Ragna the Bloodedge and his entourage while I was finishing my errands, and the male asked me to give this to you." a red envelope was taken out of Valkenhayns pocket and was handed over to the vampire. taking it, she stared blankly at it for a few seconds.

"was that all?"

"yes madam, I shall now take my leave." and with that, silence greeted the lonely vampire once again... for about three seconds.

 _Hey! aren't you gonna open it? what if it's a love letter?_ a new, smug, feminine voice echoed in her mind. Groaning in annoyance, Rachel tried to drown her out, but the voice wouldn't have it.

 _Hey, hey, HEY! none of that! you know that tickles._

"why are you here? shouldn't you be... sleeping?" Rachel snarled.

 _your panic drunken mind was too shaky for me to sleep properly, i don't know how the others managed to sleep in there... ANYWAY! what's in the letter woman!?_

"would you quiet down? it's bad enough I have to keep track of Ragna's entire group, but..." Rachel stopped. as she was ranting on, she opened up the letter to look at the contents, and the only thing on the letter was the only thing needed to pull the trigger:

Hey Rabbit, better get the house ready, My team and I are coming to visit soon. ~Ragna

dropping the letter on the floor, Rachel did the only think her mind was telling her to do. she casts a soundproofing spell all around the room. locked the doors and windows.

...and screamed.

too bad the soundproofing spell couldn't stop Valkenhayn's hearing. the scream managed to shatter the teapot and cup he was bringing to her. Rushing upstairs, Valkenhayn tried to open the door, but found it completely silent and locked.

Back with the Vampire, her screaming fest finally died down and she was now hyperventilating. unfortunately, the screaming alerted more than just Valkenhayn.

 _w-what's happening?_ a serene but childish voice whispered.

 ** _Don't know, but whatever it is, Rachel's throwing a bitchy fit over it._** a deep, voluptuous feminine voice boomed.

 ** _I do believe that the letter was to blame_**. the only male voice, calm and straightforward, deducted.

 _yep! Rachel's Boyfriend plans on coming here, and he's bringing his friends over too!_ this seemed to snap Rachel out of her hysteria.

"Ragna the Bloodedge is **NOT** my boyfriend! I'm worried because of what motive he has for coming here." Rachel snapped.

 _what other motive could bring him here?! he's into you girl! don't deny it!_

"i do deny it because it's absurd! why would he bring his group with him anyway!?"

 _maybe he's into Orgies? oooh do you think we could feel pleasure through you?_

"WHAT!?"

 _like what if you masturbated to that porn you stash away, and we were awake... do you thi-_

"first of all, it's not porn, and i don't have a collection, second of all, No i don't masturbate, neither do i want to masturbate, and thirdly, THAT"S NOT WHAT I'M FRETTING OVER!"

 _geez, calm down tiny tits. it was just an honest question, but yeah, maybe he's really into orgies._

 _o-oh my..._

 ** _Hmmm... that could work... i can finally get a chance to feel a man's-_**

"STOP! JUST STOP THAT!"

 ** _pardon my interruption Rachel, but I believe that he might be here to rid of the abnormal seither area that's been accumulating over the months._**

"...what? there's a seither enriched area here?"

 ** _of course, you never noticed it because it was right outside your manor. and from what i've managed to find from your constant attempts at tracking Bloodedge, He seems to be after both the Prime field devices and the concentrated seither._**

"...this it why i prefer both you and Coraline over Peashy and Millia, thank you Milo." Rachel sighed, slagging down onto her chair.

 _HEY!_

 ** _yeah, yeah fuck you too._**

"remind me again why I thought drinking your blood was a good idea?"

 _because you get off on the suffering of other?_

 ** _because you're lonely?_**

"i'm not going to deny nor agree with the both of you." Rachel sighed frustratingly. Milo and Coraline giggling at the scene.

* * *

 **Plot twist!**

 **I'll end it here for now, since my brain gets constant rape from writer's block. and next chapter will have some faces revealing, first interactions, and more.**

 **TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Black beasts 3**

 **Today I'm going to give you a quick rundown on the color pallets the other seven have, then review time, and finally the story.**

 **Umbra= #6 and #7 (I couldn't choose, so I just merged the two together)**

 **Ruby= #13 (ruby rose's color scheme)**

 **Ketsueki= #6 (sticking with Ragna's color)**

 **Sebastian= #11 (this looks awesome!)**

 **Dahlia= #11 (because THAT'S not going to be confusing at all)**

 **Kaguya= #11 (like mother, like daughter)**

 **Moka=#6 (this one's from chronophantasma extend)**

 **Also, from what I've found, Rachel only drank ragna's blood. Not in this fic, the voices in her head were actually dying people in which Rachel took pity on after she saved ragna and ended their misery filled pain. She didn't know about the consequences though.**

 **Review time!**

 **Mystech Master: thanks for the suggestions, here's my answers oh faithful reader:**  
 **1: maybe, if i do that, then there might be some turmoil between umbra and kokonoe. that might be good.**  
 **2: possibly. fixing nirvana is a must, and i might spice it up a bit in a new way. don't know about carl joining though.**  
 **3: nah. arakune's long gone, but i could have a way to have ragna help litchi cope a bit.**  
 **4: Celica will have a play in this, and all i'm gonna say is that the others will fell a bit... wonky.**  
 **5: next chapter (this one)**

 **also... there might be a filler episode here and there... you might like them.**

 **And with that, let's begin chapter 3!**

* * *

 ***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK***

The strong echo of the front gates being knocked was heard throughout the entire mansion. Ragna and the group right there at the entrance.

and Rachel just so happened to spot them from her room.

"How!?" Rachel barely screeched.

"shall we go check the door for you princess?" Gii asked, floating towards her.

"... very well then." with that, Nago and Gii left to go to the door.

Remember what I said Rachel, he might be here for the seither near the entrance.

"If that's the case then why doesn't he just take care of it? They're right next to it aren't they?" Rachel said

" ***knock knock*** Madam Rachel? are you alright? I heard screaming." Valkenhayn said outside the door.

"I'm alright. who's at the door now?" Rachel sighed. "and where are Nago and Gii? they insisted on checking the door."

"That I don't know, but I shall go see for you madam. also, i found them on the way to the door as well, and I told them that I would handle the door myself, all I needed was your permission."

"Very well then." she faintly heard Valkenhayn leaving before her mind was tormented once again.

"WHY DID I SAY THAT!?"

Calm down, why are you having a fit anyways?

"This never happened before in _any_ of the loops. why is this happening now!?"

how should I know? didn't you say that this was the only loop where you saved us?

"Of course it is! that doesn't mean-"

"Hey Rabbit." a third voice greeted behind her.

" _*gasp*_ ,w-what!? " Rachel paused, turning to Ragna who was leaning on the door frame, smirking the whole time. "Ragna, how on Earth did you..."

"Oh no, don't mind me... you were having a great conversation with yourself, so... I'll leave you to it."

"Why are you in here!? HOW did you in here!? and wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face!"

"Valkenhayn." he replied cheekily, grinning even more at the sight of Rachel getting more embarrassed.

"...That's it? Valkenhayn? don't make me laugh, Valkenhayn knows better than to allow filthy dogs like yourself into MY abode, he wouldn't even dare try to let you in. So HOW did you get in here?"

"Alright, I snuck in when he opened the door."

"How?"

"Magic." Ragna answered.

"Don't be cheeky with me you fool!" the Vampire snapped, "You must truly be delusional if you honestly expect me to believe that you now have magic on your side."

"Madam Rachel? who is the fool who dares to- oh... it's **you**." Nago hissed in disgust, Gii right behind him.

" sorry, princess, Valkenhayn said that he was gonna take a look, then i saw something black move downstairs, so we chased it out." Gii

"In a moment you two, I still have this insufferable twit to dispose of."

"You sure about that?" the Grim Reaper replied.

"yes, now answer my question, and I just might reconsider frying you to-"

"Rachel..." Ragna interrupted in a much different tone than his previously joking way of speaking, one that seemed to silence her completely. He walked closer across the room until he was right next to her, his darkly serious gaze focused on over her.

"You and I both know that you're the last person anyone would think of to lose their shit, and frankly to both of our surprises probably, I'm a bit worried. You were talking to yourself, but I know better than to sum it up to you going crazy, so I'll cut to the chase," The wielder of the Azure Grimoire leaned closer to her, the new serious air he gave off not faltering in the slightest, "What's wrong Rachel?"

"..." All Rachel could do was stare at him, trying to find SOME weakness she could exploit, some answer to HOW he acquired this new threatening air about him

"p-princess? what's he talking about?" Gii asked.

you're gonna have to answer them soon. might as well get it over with.

"... The hell was that?" Ragna asked in deadpan, raising an eyebrow as if he was interrogating a child that had been caught stealing cookies.

...the hell was what?

"That voice... who's there?" Rachel's eyes widened at that reply, but before she could do anything else, her voice sealed her fate with one sentence.

"You... can hear him?" welp, Rachel's screwed.

he can HEAR me?

"wait... what?" Ragna's eyes widened.

hmm...hello there, Mr. Ragna i am Milo. If I may interrupt, I do believe that I have a hypothesis on how you can hear me...

"The hell? Rabbit what's going on!?" Ragna demanded, but still managing to keep some semblance of control.

Rachel, you said that you tried to turn him into a halfling at one point, correct?

"yes, I have." she confirmed.

In order to turn into a halfling, a vampire must mix their blood into the victim's bloodstream. and since you did that at some point,Ragna has somehow retained the blood you transfered to him, that technically makes him an Alucard with their respective DNA.

"and how exactly does that explain why I can hear you?" Ragna asked.

"what are we chopped liver?!" Nago said.

"yeah! why can't we hear the mystery voice?" Gii added.

certain clans of monsters, like the Alucards and the Shuzen-Akashiya family, have access to special... abilities. one of which results by eating a victim's soul by drinking them to death, the same scenario in which Coraline, Millia, Peashy, and I are in. It drastically increases their magic power, but the souls are still alive, hence why we can still talk. with Rachel's blood in you, You might have the same ability, or at the very least, a smaller variant. this could explain why you're hearing me right now.

"...Wow." Ragna responded

I know right? I even impressed myself.

"That still does not explain why he's here in the first place." Rachel said.

"There's a seither spot near here. Some friends of mine are dealing with it as we speak."

called it.

"Then why aren't you down there with them instead of bothering me? And what in the world do you even need all that Seither for? I hardly see how YOU could find any use of it." Rachel asked, slowly losing patience, but still trying to get some answers.

"To answer the later, that's going to have to be my little secret for a little while longer." Ragna said. "As for the former...well, somebody's gotta tell me about these "time loops" I keep hearing about." Ragna said, slightly smirking when he saw Rachel's expression go from "about to blow a fuse" to "oh shit".

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I no idea what you're on about." Rachel replied, in desperate attempts to deflect the conversation.

"Don't clam up on me rabbit! You said it yourself that this never happened in these "loops", so that means that something weird is happening, and I want to know why."

"watch your mouth you vile rat!" Nago hissed, fangs and claws bared.

 _Didn't we already tell you about the time loops?_ the Black Beast spoke.

" _Yeah, but she doesn't know that does she?_ " Ragna mentally countered. " _Besides, I want to hear it from her mouth._ "

 _You cheeky jackass... please continue_

Ragna swore if he could see the Black Beast inside of him right now, it would be giving the biggest shit-eating grin right now, or at least trying to.

"That is none of your concern. Now leave my presence at once, before I make you." the head of the Alucard clan declared, wanting this conversation to end as soon as possible.

"Fine then, make me." he smirked, as he held his arms out, as if expecting her to come at him. But before either could say or do anything else, a new presence made itself known.

"Ragna?" both the Grim Reaper and the Vampire turned to the door to see, to Rachel's surprise, what appeared to be a Murakumo Unit. But this one was much different than the usual models that Rachel was familiar with.

For starters, she was wearing the Black Cloak that had become the known attire of the ones calling themselves "The Black Beasts". A black cloak covered her whole body, with red markings near the end of the sleeves and coat tails. Other than that, she had the similar facial structure as the other Units, with blonde hair a few shades darker than her own and lime green eyes.

This led to another batch of questions, why was Ragna associating with a Murakumo? Wasn't his whole mission to destroy them?

"that's it! that's the black thing I saw earlier!" Gii yelped.

" I thought we got rid of you!?" Nago snarled, his patience running thin from all these interruptions.

"Yeah Dahlia? You guys done already?" Ragna responded to the unit.

And now he had NAMED it? Too many questions began piling up within Rachel's mind, there were too many randomly generated factors that had all of a sudden popped up.

"Yup! it was kinda small, so it wasn't that much of a problem." the Unit replied, giving a thumbs up.

"Great. I guess we'll be heading out then." Ragna began to leave the room, but before exiting he gazed back to Rachel one last time. "This conversation isn't over rabbit. There is nothing you can hide from me anymore." he growled, "Things are going to be different this time."

And with and with that, the Grim Reaper had left, his Murakumo partner right behind him.

Rachel stood there, frozen in place. Desperately searching her long memory to find anything that would explain how she of all people could feel threatened by that lowly dog, how he could evade her detection despite her Onlooker status, and how he could find out about the loops.

"Madam rachel, are you alright? he didn't try anything did he?" Nago said, his priority going back to Rachel's well-being.

" I'm fine, I just... i need time to come to terms wi-"

Just then, interrupting her train of thought, Valkenhayn hobbled to the door frame, looking like he was both mauled and raped at the same time. cuts, bruises, and some burn spots were littered across his body, but he still managed to stand albeit shakily.

Rachel, surprised at her butler's state, went up to him to observe the damage, "Valkenhayn? what happened to you?"

"Forgive me Madam Rachel, I was not able to drive off the intruders." the butler groaned in pain, "I engaged one of them, but I am afraid she was too much even for me."

"Oh dear... you must rest. I cannot have you in this condition." the vampire looked worried for her long time servant. Valkenhayn was far from weak, even in his old age, for someone to trounce him like this AND the fact that they seemed to be under Ragna's command did nothing to calm her nerves.

"...No need, Madam", the Lycanthrope began, his body's own healing factor already kicking in. "There is something else that must be done." His body almost fully healed, he began attempting to stand up, succeeding after a slight wobble. " I've had a bit of help from an old ally in attempting to acquire answers, and he was on his way to Sector Seven. He insisted that we should meet him there."

"Hmm, did he ever tell you why?" Rachel asked

"All he said was that it concerned Ragna and his new unknown allies." the former member of th Six Heroes replied.

"..." Rachel mused, hoping that this could help her current predicament.

hey Rachel. this could be your chance to know more about what the hell is happening

"Very well then, we shall depart immediately." opening up the portal, Rachel and Valkenhayn entered to the other side.

* * *

 _(meanwhile in sector seven)_

* * *

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!?" an enraged Kokonoe shouted at the downtrodden Jubei.

"I know you'd want to kill me, but you said it yourself that you're lookin' for info on Ragna and his little team. I've got some for ya, and I know another who knows as well." Jubei retorted.

"And who the hell would that be!?"

"I believe we could answer that for you." Right then and there, a portal opened revealing Rachel and Valkenhayn.

"Oh great. now you're here too. why don't all of you start showing up? We can have a god damn brunch buffet!"

"Hey Kokonoe! we're here for the info you wanted!" Kagura shouted in the other room.

"I WAS FUCKING KIDDING!"

Joining the group, Kagura and Hibiki looked around the room with slight confusion.

"so..." Kagura started. "who's going first?"

"I shall start." Valkenhayn limped over to the others, Jubei helping him stand (remember, he's still fucked up from the last fight).

"When I opened the gates I was greeted by four individuals with red and black cloaks. one of them requested a spar against me for in her own words 'I want to pass the time'. I obliged wagering that they would leave in I had won. she wagered an audience with Madam Rachel if she won instead."

"Can you hurry it up?" Kokonoe interrupted.

"Let me finish."Vakenhayn snarled.

"fine, fine." the half-Beastkin replied

"As I was saying, during our spar, I've managed to take off her hood, and the sight baffled me. I could never forget that look she gave me."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Who was she?" Jubei asked.

"she... she was a splitting image of Madam Rachel."

* * *

 **AND the end of chapter 3!**

 **sorry for the stop here... other fics need my care and i can't focus on just one. that's bad parenting.**

 **next chapter will continue the conversation, meanwhile, Ragna encounters our resident catgirl, how will the others react? well see you next time.**

 **(ps, thanks Mystech Master for helping out)**

 **(6/5): i cleaned up the chapter a bit, and added more dialogue for Nago and Gii, thanks Mystech Master for pointing that out. also, I'm having it so only one voice in her head can talk from now on. the only exception being when she's completely alone and is calm enough for the others to appear.**

 **TBC.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Black beasts 4!**

 **I now have an amazing beta reader for this fic! (cue victory fanfare) this might be a bit longer than usual, but that'll probably make up for the long time it took to make this chapter.**

 **Anyways, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

"a splitting image... of me?" Rachel asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"Indeed. However, there were some minor differences that i have noticed. for one she seemed to have paler skin, and her hair was a dark hazel with a few streaks of darker velvet instead of golden." Valkenhayn continued.

"Hey Val, maybe you should tell them in more detail... I'm still tryin' to figure out why the actual hell you though fightin' one of 'em was a good idea." Jubei said.

"...Perhaps, but only if you explain how you managed to arrive as well. last time I have checked, you weren't capable of teleportation."

"Sure thing. now, go on."

"Well, it started when I opened the door..." the Lycanthrope started.

* * *

(Flashback, Valkenhayn's POV)

I barely stepped out the front door when I felt a powerful presence fluctuating outside. taking a quick peek, I found that the presence was actually a group, but not just any group, the infamous group that i have earlier encountered with that Filthy waste of existence Ragna the bloodedge.

how that man ever managed to convince these poor fools to join his cause, I'll never know.

"..may I help you?" I asked the short cloaked individual in front of me.

"yes, I am in need of a small assistance, if you would be so kind." from what I heard, I could assume that this person was indeed female.

I watched as the petite girl stepped back towards the open space that awaited outside the manor, urging me to step outside. Cautiously, I opened the door wider, but kept to the front entrance, wary that this might be an ambush.

The girl sighed, then walked towards me, seeing that I am obviously keeping to my spot.

"I understand that you're hesitant to exit the manor, especially for a person like me, but for what I require a larger space would be prefered."

"...Very well then, but first, I have some questions for you." If I am going to go to a larger area, then at least I will gain something out of this.

"that's fair, what would you like to ask?" the girl said.

"I have noticed that you were with that insufferable mongrel Ragna the Bloodedge, yet you are not with him now. Why is that?"

"I'm afraid that I can only answer half of that question, it is not my place to speak my relations to him as of yet." the female answered. what does she mean 'not in her place'?

"However, I can tell you that he's currently visiting a friend of his at the moment." She finished, giving me an ominous smirk, one that screams at me to connect the dots, but there's one piece of this puzzle that's still missing, and with the way she's speaking, It might take a while to collect that.

"I am rather surprised that anyone would wish to spend time with that foul mutt. very well then, as long as that waste of space does not even dare approach Madam Rachel." I said, earning a suspicious giggle from her.

" My next question relates to why you and your group are here. How did you even manage enter the castle grounds?" I asked, glaring at her.

"An ally of mine was able to find this place. It was quite simple really, we are here for the small area near this manor. It contains concentrated seither; something we're after." the cloaked girl said.

"... and what do you plan on doing with that much seither?"

"I will tell you, If you succeed in my little dilemma." the girl said, the more she spoke the more...familiar she seemed.

" ***sigh*** very well then. what do you have in mind?" I said, waiting for this to be over with. it's almost time for the madam's tea time.

" it will take some time for us to collect the entirety of the seither, and I want to pass the time, so I have a proposition for you."

"And what might that be?" I asked, tensing up a bit

"Yes, I am suggesting a little wager; If I win, then I may speak with the head of this manor. and if you win..."

"Then you and your group will leave, and never come back."

"Agreed. my, you're certainly eager to drive away trespassers." the girl said.

"If you are associated with that pathetic boy, then I would be glad to remove you from the premises." I growled, most likely barring my fangs (as I did when I let my temper get the better of me).

"Alright then, How about a little spar to settle our wager?" the girl smirked.

"a... spar? is that what you were insinuating from the start?" I questioned.

"Yes, I have acquired a new surge of power recently, and I was wondering if you could help me with honing it to my skills, Mr...?"

"I am Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, loyal butler of the Alucard Clan." I stated proudly. Even if this was an associate of that runt, it's rude to not address your name in a decent conversation. I musn't stoop to HIS level.

"and I am known as Moka." the girl, now known as Moka, greeted as she took the low ends of her cloak and did a slight curtsy. "Now then, will you come out from your spot, or will you guide me to a different sparring field?" I finally noticed that we barely let our positions this whole conversation.

Slightly hesitant, I stepped out the doorway, and closed it. the last thing I would want would be for this "Moka "to dupe me and sneak in.

Turning to the small female, she snapped her fingers, and two beings rose from her shadow. interesting, it has been a while since I have seen that magic. the beings revealed to be a tall male, and a short female. both look like...

* * *

 _VVVRRRR..._

"oh god dammit. what Tager?!" Kokonoe snarled.

 _~Pardon the interruption, but I have come to inform you that I've spotted Ragna the bloodedge and his group. they're at the outskirts of Kagutsuchi and are proceeding to enter.~_

"Fine. keep your distance, but follow and observe them only."

 _~understood~_

 ***click***

"sorry about that." Kokonoe said, turning back to the werewolf butler.

"while we're on a break right now, sorry if this is a bit out of the loop, but who exactly is the young lady besides you Sir?" Kagura asked.

"...what?" both Rachel and Valkenhayn said.

"if it is alright, madam, I believe what Mr. Kagura meant to say was that introductions were in order. We did go into this conversation a bit rushed." Hibiki spoke up, hoping to lessen the potential destruction he pretty much dug himself in. "and I apologize on Kagura's behalf for interrupting your story sir."

"... It's alright, I have other dilemmas on my mind, and I have no time lecturing a mongrel like him for his vulgarity." Rachel waved off. "I am known as Rachel Alucard, I believe you know of Valkenhayn and Jubei?"

"um... yes, madam. sorry for the rude way I phrased that question." the Black Knight responded, hoping to get back in the Vampire's good graces.

"I certainly hope so." she replied.

"yeah! next time treat your superiors with respect!" Gii spoke.

"Better get that memorized, boy. If not, then I'll have to claw your eyes out as punishment." Nago added.

"Nago, Gii, be silent." Rachel commanded, causing both familiars to be silent and return to being mere spectators.

"alright alright, you got your answer, now please, continue." Kokonoe said.

"as I was saying..."

* * *

(back to Valkenhayn's flashback)

The two beings she summoned looked a bit like Nago and Gii... if they were humanoid... and were red and Black respectively.

the humanoid male next to Moka was as tall as me, wearing a simple Dark Brown suit. his burned hazel cat ears and tails giving away his cat like appearance, Could he have been a Demi-Human? The aura he gave off was similar, yet different. The next person was a girl who was surprisingly shorter than Moka. If I was mistaken, then I would have mistaken her for an eight year old. she was wearing a Black hooded jacket that seemed too big for her, a skirt that seemed to be short enough to be hidden by said jacket, and black slippers. her tiny fangs and abnormally enormous wings too big for a vampire of her stature stood out the most.

"Iago, Phi, Make sure that the others are informed of my little wager, and tell them that I prefer to be alone for this." Moka spoke to them.

"Of course, Mistress." the male bowed. such curtly manners. Why couldn't some people act more like that? "But are you certain that you would want to waste your precious time on... this gentlemen?" What exactly was he insinuating? That I'm not worthy of her presence? How dare he! Who does he, and by extension this girl, think I am?!

" ...Okay... w-we'll help out too I-if you want. just s-say the word. Iago, let's go." the girl stuttered. Iago, as I now realized, nodded and the two left to the other group.

"Now then, shall we begin?" Turning, I barely had a second to comprehend anything before I felt swift pain in my abdomen.

the next thing I knew, I was sliding down the walls of the manor. looking to Moka, I found that she had her hand outstretched. Such a small, dainty little hand managed to do this much?

I see that she's not holding back, So I will not either.

* * *

(3rd Person POV)

"Attacking before the opponent is ready huh? As expected from someone who associates with that Mongrel Rag-" Valkenhayn started before he immediately had to dodge from his opponent, who had come barreling towards him. He barely moved before she hit him, but surprisingly, instead of hitting the castle wall, she stopped within a split second, just a centimeter before hitting the wall and just seemed to levitate there. She adjusted her position in mid air and looked down on the butler, who had moved to lower ground.

"I advise that you stop your petty insults towards my associate. Otherwise you will come to regret it." she stated, sounding slightly more agitated that before.

"And why should I? I only speak the truth about the boy" one blink later, Moka was face to face with him, the hood of her cloak moving up slightly to reveal her eyes, Valkenhayn took a closer, deeper look at Moka's eyes, which he now noticed to be a strange mix of crimson and brown, yet were somehow...familiar.

"Because I personally LOATH those who believe that just because someone doesn't act how they wish, they are beneath them. Especially when said person berates my allies."

Before Valkenhayn could respond, the former member of the Six Heroes was struck in the abdomen and blown back quite a distance, all the way back into the garden in fact. After collecting himself and readjusting his footing, the butler looked back to notice she had jabbed with a closed parasol she conjured up in less than a second.

" They always think that they're the only ones whose opinions matter." she stated before opening the parasol, causing a massive surge of wind to rush at her opponent.

Valkenhayn quickly transformed his legs into their more feral wolf-like form in an attempt to dig his claws into the ground in order to keep from blowing away.

"That they can treat everyone around them like dirt due to their fake superiority." She continued, and as she did, strange Ars Magus circles, or at least what he believed to be Ars Circles, began popping up in mid air around her open parasol, and out from them came shards of ice rushing through the air towards him.

Luckily, in order for them not to overshoot, she had to lower the wind enough for Valkenhayn to move properly. With his still transformed legs, he launched forward towards his opponent in an attempt to move through the barrage of ice and take her out.

 ***CRASH*** one Ice spike had almost hit him but with his transformed legs giving him a slight boost in agility he was able to avoid the barrage with ease.

"So I find the greatest sense satisfaction when I ***SMASH*** teach ***SMASH*** them ***BAM*** where ***CRUNCH*** they ***CRUSH*** truly ***CRASH*** stand!"

Finally dodging to dodge the last shard, Valkenhayn pushed hard once more and closed the distance. Going to the offensive, Moka wasted no time evading his attacks effortlessly, almost dancing around her opponent as Valkenhayn unleashed an unrelenting barrage of clawed swipes with both his clawed legs and his transformed arms to the girl.

The parasol wielder evaded each swipe with ease, ducking beneath clawed kicks and side stepping from lunges, redirecting blows with her parasol should they ever stray to a bit too close for her liking.

"Hold still you little - GAHH!" Valkenhayn took another swipe at her head, when Moka ducked under him and jabbed the top of her parasol to his abdomen. Blowing him back gain, but not as far as the first time.

"Rrrr, you little..." Valkenhayn growled at his opponent.

"It seems that you have forgotten about a simple fact: while werewolves are faster than most beings..." in an instant, Moka was again all up in his face. "Vampires are superior in every way possible." rearing up for another swing of her parasol, the lycanthrope barely managed to block in time.

 ***CRACK***

"AAAAGH!" roaring in pain, Valkenhayn clutched his now broken arm as he stumbled back from the girl.

"My apologies, I sometimes get a bit carried away." the young girl apologized. "But I did warn you not to insult my comrade."

"Save your apologies you vile cur." Valkenhayn snarled at the girl, his broken arm already healing thanks to his sorcery-infused genetics. He glared at his opponent with fangs bared. "Although I must admit, you're quite skilled. I haven't had to exert myself this much since the Dark War."

"Oh, praise from you of all people? I guess I should thank you. But if you think I'll give you any form of respect from me you're sadly mista-" Moka was suddenly interrupted by a straight kick to the abdomen from the werewolf. The blow knocking her back into one of the many gravestones littered throughout the garden, the stone in question being small enough to reach up to the center of her back. The resulting impact causing her to bend backwards over the stone.

Valkenhayn placed his foot back down and readjusted his stance, to prepare for his opponent. But he wouldn't be able to handle what happened next.

"now whose being unbecoming? that was a gr... why are you looking at me like that?" Moka asked, straightening her back to look upon her adversary, but was interrupted by Valkenhayn's stunned expression, but there was one simple difference that took away all of his adrenaline...

the hood was off...the blow she just endured having caused it to fly off of her head.

and Moka's face was revealed...

a face that looked specifically like Rachel's...

feeling at her hair, and suddenly figuring out why the lycanthrope stayed there, she quickly covered her hair with the hood again, this time however, her face could still be seen.

"Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later." Moka sighed.

"W-what in the world!? Who are you? Why do you look like Madam Rachel!?" Valkenhayn roared.

"Oh dear, is this how you always react to those who look similar to Rachel?" Moka gasped. "but in any case, I must cut our little spar short. My friends have accomplished their task." and with a snap of her fingers, Iago and Phi reappeared from her shadow. " I truly had fun today, hopefully, Ms. Alucard would be an interesting opponent..."

"What!? If you even think of harming Madam Rachel I swear I'll.." Valkenhayn began to threaten the lookalike, but he was quickly interrupted.

"Calm your nerves you flea ridden fool, I might just want to have a spar like the one we had that's all. I believe she may be a much more interesting opponent. Maybe a bit more in control of herself" she giggled. "Iago. Phi. let's go." and with that, the three began to leave.

"Hold on just a minute! Explain yourself you imposter!" Valkenhayn said, dashing towards the trio for a back handed strike.

 _Block_

 _swing_

 ***BASH***

"GAHH!" and was countered by Iago's claws and Phi's wings, which then proceeded to strike at the lycantrope's abdomen, a red streak of blood oozed out of the now visible on his chest.

"Never assault our mistress behind her back, you mangy mutt!" Iago hissed.

"I'm gonna enjoy losing control if it means Ripping apart our mistress's attacker." Phi snarled, her face contorting into a feral form with no pupils and razor sharp teeth.

"I do believe I should help you feel less pain. It has to be quite a nuisance for you to stay conscious with that wound." lifting her parasol like a judge's gavel "Then again, that was your fault."

"VAL!" a new voice shouted.

"Huh?" the trio retreated a little to the sight of the One-Eyed Lotus himself, Jubei stepping in front of the downed former hero.

"J-Jubei!?" Valkenhayn stuttered, staggering to get back up. His wound already healing

"Sorry I'm late Val. Oi Kid! Who the hell are ya!?" he yelled at the Alucard-Impersonator.

"Well this is an interesting surprise, I believe you should know who I am. after all, I have no doubt that you followed us like a stray kitten." Moka quipped.

"I'm gonna ignore that little quip just this once if ya answer my question." the Cat Beastkin demanded, one of his paws gripping a handle of the Musashi on his back.

"As much as I'd love to play 20 questions with you, I'm afraid now we shall leave, as per the pup's request." Moka answered, looking off to the side, as if unthreatened by the "Strongest Living Thing" giving her a death glare.

"Watch your tongue, girl." Valkenhayn spat.

"How about you watch yours." Iago snarled back.

"Yeah! Watch it as I rip it out of your mouth!" Phi added.

"Calm yourselves you two." Moka said, silencing both of them.

"As for you two, do not fret. I'll be sure to leave you all enlightened?" Moka smirked as she twirled her now open parasol over her head. a golden yellow glyph emerged and flashed an intense white light. solar heat radiated off of the glyph, which now morphed into a sphere of sunlight. Both Jubei and Valkenhayn retreated slowly at the brightness of the makeshift mini sun.

When the sun disappeared, Jubei and Valkenhayn looked around the garden, but there was no sign of Moka or the others.

"C'mon Val. let's get ya to Rachel. She might be able to help ya out." Jubei offered, helping Valkehayn hobble to the mansion. Although his injuries had healed, he was still quite exhausted.

"Oh by the way, think ya could do me a little favor?"

"Of course. Name it old friend." Valkenhayn nodded.

* * *

"and when we made it to madam Rachel's room, Jubei asked me to open a portal to here, and that would be the end of the events before madam Rachel found me in my state and before we both teleported here ourselves." Valkenhayn finished.

"Well that would explain why he's here." Kokonoe said, glaring at Jubei in disgust.

"What I don't understand is why and how Jubei managed to enter my manor. it is no easy task to enter there without teleportation magic, and even then one would have a hard time finding it." Rachel addressed.

"Well, I owe it to Ragna's new friends. I guess it's my turn to talk." Jubei started.

* * *

(jubei's POV)

I was trotting down the streets of one of the lesser known cities, mindin' my own business. nothing better to do since my last raid, I reckon' a walk sounded nice.

It wasn't until I neared a town before some nasty soundin' rumors flooded my ears. Curious, I stepped a bit closer. It was two NOL officers who appeared to be chattin' 'bout

"Another cauldron's been destroyed? That fast!?" one person whispered.

"Keep it down, will ya? yeah it's busted up. looked real bad too." the other replied.

"Whoever did that must be psychotic as hell... don't they know how important they are?"

"how much do you wanna bet those Black Beast guys were the culprits?"

Black Beasts? There's a group callin' themselves that runnin' around here? Hakumen would probably have a field day if he hears that... why do I have a bad feelin 'bout this though?

"Nah, the report showed that it was a lone man with a scythe who totaled the damn thing. a small group of black cloaks watched him too."

"Those're the black beasts idiot!"

"Aww man, why can't we just get the easy jobs."

... dammit. shoulda' known Ragna's behind this. He's got a group with him now? How the he- wait... when did he ever get people to help him? I only saw him a few months ago and now he's convincing other people to help destroy thye Cauldrons? I know the sayin' goes "the more the merrier" but this isn't right. I'd better take a closer look myself.

just when I was 'bout to leave my perch, a third person ran in lookin' like he did a marathon. the only thing he said before he collapsed were "We just got a report!" he said, tryin' to regain his breath, "The Black Beasts were last seen a few miles northeast of here, it appears their next destination is The 13 Hierarchical City of Kagutuschi!" grinnin' at the news, I walked out into the bundle of chaos that caused. this could be the only chance I have to learn more about his friends for now.

It took me a while, but despite my old age I still had a good spring in my step when I needed to get somewhere fast. It only took me a few hours to arrive in the wilderness not too far from Kagutsuchi. When I arrived I immediately sensed a familiar presence, and just as those officers had mentioned, he wasn't alone.

Seven figures surrounded him, ranging in heights from just around my height to about half a head smaller than Ragna. All of them were either standing nearby, leaning on some trees, or sitting on some giant roots.

I couldn't tell what they looked like, they all had these strange black cloaks on with their hoods up. I could see why they were called the Black Beasts though. The black coats with the red detailing really does give off that vibe.

I quickly maneuvered through the branches of the thick canopy above them and quietly snuck closer. I need to measure the situation before I just waltz in there. As soon as I reached a good distance I focused my senses on the conversation happening bellow me. Thank god for Beastkin hearing.

* * *

(3rd person POV)

"Alright everyone, you know our next stop, it's the big one. Anyone find anything interesting on your missions?" Ragna said.

"It was truly a hassle, but I've managed to find and link special locations that are exclusively rare. we might find something of use in one of them." the first black beast spoke sounding much like a young woman's voice, something that sets off many red flags in Jubei.

"That voice sounds... familiar." Jubei whispers.

"Cool. anyone else?" Ragna asked turning to the others. Another black beast spoke up, once again in a voice of a young woman but seemingly younger than the first one who spoke, reminding the cat of another person he remembers.

"I've got some extra data I managed to acquire from Sector Seven." the Beast spoke. "Honestly, they need to update their security or fire a good chunk of people."

"Anything interesting or useful?" Ragna asked.

"Nothing too special, a few schematics, some tools for enhancing Observation, honestly nothing I wouldn't have been able to come up with myself, but hey, less work for me, so who cares." the Beast replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Hmm... those schematics might be handy at some point... we'll check those out when we have time."

'So that chick is the brains of the outfit huh?' Jubei thought' And she actually managed to hack into Sector Seven? If Kokonoe new that someone managed to break into her files I bet she'd be on the warpath.'

"Word on the streets says that people are randomly disappearing at Kagutsuchi. They just seem to be vanishing out of nowhere. That might not be a coincidence that something strange is happening there too." the third beast spoke up, this time sounding like a young boy.

" ***sigh*** I bet it has to do with that stupid bug blob." Ragna sighed, "Honestly, Kokonoe needs to clean up after herself. If shit happens because you can't tone down the bitch then fix it for crying out loud." he continued to grumble.

Ragna collected himself and then turned to the Beasts, "Alright everyone, you've done good so far raiding branches individually, the Library is shitting bricks right now and that's how we like it." he started "But what comes next will put all that to shame. You know what's coming, we're not just dealing with cannon fodder Library dogs this time. Never underestimate what we see next, we might be powerful, but were not invincible. We screw up and everything we're doing will go down the drain."

Jubei had to admit it was quite surprising to see Ragna acting all leader like. He was equally confused and almost proud, seeing him take charge an' all, but this is way too different from the mouthy brat he trained for seven years. Just what happened in just a few months that made him like this? He wondered if it has something to do with his new pals.

"You all know what to do; we go in, kick some ass, and give a big old middle finger to fate!" he continued, now THAT is something Jubei expect Ragna to say.

"Yes sir!" six off the beasts shouted, while the seventh one just meowed loudly.

"Alright then" Ragna continued, a smile now adorn on his face. "Is there anything you guys need to do before we head out. Anything we're forgetting, we can't leave loose ends."

One beast stepped forward, a bit shorter than the previous ones who spoke. Once again, having a very familiar aura about her.

"I do believe a certain Observer is in need of a visit" Once again, a young lady's voice, but carrying with it a sort of grace that the other two didn't have.

'Seriously Ragna got THIS many women to join him. It's almost unbelievable. ' Jubei thought

"There is also the patch of Seithr that is present in her realm which would also benefit our objective. Also" she continued, Jubei may not be able to see her face from where he was perched, but he could tell she had a sort of smirk on. "I know that you've been wanting to show off your new strength to Miss Alucard. I feel like now is the time to show her the difference between you two now."

'Alucard huh' the One-eyed Lotus thought, ' so their goin' to visit Rachel now? How in the hell do they expect to do that? It isn't like her castle is listed on any roadmap.' He continued to listen in hopes of getting more info.

Ragna brought his hand up to his chin, thinking about his teammate's offer for a few seconds, before grinning. "Yeah, I guess I do owe the rabbit a visit. Plus we got a bit of time to kill before the 'scheduled performance', So let's go see how she reacts to the new me."

"Ooh now I see." another Beast addressed, once again, a young girl, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point." You want to talk to her and rub your new power in her face!?"

"The Seither spot in there takes priority, it's small, but it's two birds with one stone." He turned to the first female member who spoke "Kaguya, change of plans. We're taking a little detour."

The woman, now identified as Kaguya, let out a slight giggle, once again making Jubei's memory ache, he SWORE she seemed familiar. "Of course, we'll let you have your little playdate with the princess, I shall open a portal right away." she finished. Just as she did a set of white and purplish black glyphs appeared on her hands as a portal opened up, revealing a dark moonlit mansion surrounded by roses on the other end. However the power that emanated from the opened portal blew a mighty gust of wind that nearly blew her cloak clean off, showing the back side of her body as well as her hair.

"WHAT!? how the hell did- CRAP!" Jubei, mid-whisper,

Jubei was surprised at this revelation, 'That looks like' Jubei thought in shock, 'Teleportation magic! Okay getting a woman to work with him was one thing, but all the other mages were supposed to have been wiped out in the Dark War.'

Jubei was so shocked by this revelation that he didn't realize until the last second that he was being dragged into the teleportation as well, letting out a slight noise of surprise.

Kaguya seemed to notice this and looked up to identify where the noise was, the other Beasts seemingly oblivious.

unbeknownst to her, Jubei managed to catch a glimpse of her face under the hood as the light from the teleportation circle managed to illuminate the shadows obscuring her features...features that were all too familiar to Jubei

* * *

"familiar?" Valkenhayn asked. "How so?"

" she looked like..." Jubei began.

"... like who?" Rachel asked.

"...Nine..." he answered in hushed voice, almost as if he didn't believe his own words.

"..."

Silence befell the room. Valkenhayn, Jubei, and Rachel were in deep thought, oblivious to the other three confused people in the room.

"but that's impossible; Terumi threw her into the boundary..."

"I know, and all I'm sayin' is that she looks like Nine, never said she was. I didn' get a good look at 'er at that time, so I don't know fer sure." he said, clearly stressed out about seeing an almost EXACT duplicate of his deceased wife recently "After I entered the portal and landed on yer roses when I heard Val in pain. the rest is history." Jubei finished.

"So not only does he have a Nine and Rachel Look-alike-" Kagura started.

"BULLSHIT!" Kokonoe shouted immediately. ignoring her outburst, Kagura continued.

"but he also has a magic user capable of Teleportation, and several other people we still don't know about..." Kagura deducted.

"That seems to be the case." Hibiki agreed.

"well that's just fan-Fucking-tastic! how the hell are we gonna get close to him if he can fucking teleport!? what else is he hiding from us!?" Kokonoe half screeched. she refuse to believe that RAGNA of all people had a leg up on her.

"my question is where is the fool and what is he doing right now?" Rachel added.

The group all pondered on what this means, Ragna the Bloodedge was strong, given the fact that he possessed the Azure Grimoire, but as of recently, he was able to recruit very powerful allies, but seemed to have far more control over the Azure than ever before.

Jubei began to sigh, "Look, maybe we're all freakin' out about all this." he started, " Ragna might not be a saint, but he's a good kid. a little confrontational but still, I should know."

Kokonoe groaned, "So what exactly are you suggesting?"

"Lemme try and talk to him," the Cat Beastkin said suggested "Maybe if instead of interrogatin' him we try and get him to explain himself willingly. Who knows, if we ARE just overreacting and Ragna Is still on our side, then he just got us some pretty powerful new allies to help us against Terumi."

Valkenhayn growled at this, "I refuse to believe that mongrel could ever gain allies, and even so, if said 'allies' dare insult my master then they are not whom I wish to associate with."

Rachel thought back to when Ragna appeared in her manor, his aura was WAY too different from when she last saw him. But even then he still displayed some concern over her panic ridden state. So maybe Jubei wasn't spouting nonsense.

She finally decided to speak up, "If it means figuring out what that fool is hiding from us, then I see no issue. We cannot have any unknown factors if we're going to defeat Terumi." she then turned to Jubei, "I put our trust in you Jubei."

Jubei nodded to the head of the Alucard clan before Valkenhayn used his own power to open a shadowy portal. Jubei over and stopped before he entered, he turned to the group, "Don't worry, I know Ragna. I think I can handle this". He said, in hopes of reassuring everyone, before walking through Valkenhayn's portal.

* * *

 **AAAAAAAAAAAANNNNDD DONE!**

 **that took a big while to do. as i've said before, it'll take a good while to update chapters, so please be patient.**

 **like and review and whatnot.**

 **TBC.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Black beasts 5**

 **I had to change a bit of stuff last chapter first, so now we'll be getting back to the BBs, but first, a bit of a note here.**

 **Thanks a bunch for my beta reader/collab partner Mystech Master for helping me out with this fic. I do hope he'll help out in the long run, but just in case, Be sure to like and review both this story and his stories as well.**

* * *

The criminal group known as "The Black Beasts" had been traveling for a few days now, trekking through wilderness having reclaimed most of the world during the Dark War, and evading Seithr Beasts, en route to their next destination: The 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. This would be a big event for many parties.

For one, it'll be the first branch that the infamous group tackles together instead of individually, which terrifies even the most seasoned of NOL officers, who compare it to having a volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami, and tornado all coming at you at once, but for those who are aware of the truth, the looping state the world is in, it is the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning. SO many loops have ended at this location, on the new years eve of 2199, Ragna the Bloodedge does battle with Prime Field Device Number 13 "Nu" which results in his death and subsequent transformation into the very Beast that ravaged the world a century ago.

But this time, things will be different.

He isn't alone, and he isn't as weak as he was. He has new strength and allies to help him carve out his own destiny, and nothing will stand in his way.

The team of Eight continue walking through the untamed wilderness, supposedly unaware of a certain one-eyed Beastkin tailing them, Jubei of the Six heroes had been keeping track of them ever since he reported back to Rachel and Kokonoe.

He still couldn't fully wrap his head around what was happening, the ominous aura Ragna now gives off, topped with his new allies, one of which having a VERY similar face to his late wife not doing his confusion any favors), and his new professional personality made him want to wonder what exactly has happened to make Ragna like this.

The One-Eyed Lotus tries to calm himself as he continues to keep at a leisurely pace, enough to here he wouldn't disturb the area and alert them to his presence, but making sure he doesn't lose them. Soon he'll need to confront them, it may as well be on his terms.

(Play "Hollow" BGM ( /dLEeihhKg28))

The SS-Class Criminal Sect eventually notice through the canopy of trees, a large mountain with many lights coming from it, this way their destination. Ragna turns to address his team. "Alright, we're here... anything else before we start entering the city?"

"I've had my familiars do recon around the immediate area and have identified Vigilante Carl Clover, Just as expected he is en route to Kagutsuchi, all is going exactly as predicted" the white haired "Nine" addressed.

"Alright. how's our time?"

"I estimate we are exactly 2.58 minutes ahead of schedule. Although if we continue at our current pace and not meet much opposition, all events will transpire as predicted." Dahlia replied.

"Hmm... and how long if we do end up getting delayed?"

"3.58 minutes, a very insignificant amount."

"Alright then, let's get moving." knowing this might be his only chance to stay on their trail, Jubei stared intently at the group. Suddenly, the entire group advanced forward to the city in a swift manner, but with Jubei's eyes on them, Jubei silently followed suit.

when the group slowed to a halt a few minutes later, Jubei had just enough time, and control, to hide himself once again. Everyone else, save for Ragna, Sebastian and "Nine" who were too focused on the road ahead to see jubei, were slightly winded from the trek.

* * *

"Man, i'm never gonna get used to that..." Dahlia said, almost vomiting afterwards.

"I know right?" the red themed black beast agreed.

"I told you,Seraph still needs to get to know Sylpheed a bit more for my teleporting magic to function perfectly." "Nine" stated, a green and a white wisp like orbs orbiting around her.

"Cheer up, sis." Sebastian added. "At least we're here." Ketsueki meowed in agreement.

"You're not the one puking up their lungs here, you health nut." Umbra mumbled, ready to drop to the ground.

"We're here..." Kaguya stated, pointing at the 13th city streets in front of the clearing they were in.

"alright everyone, you know what to do." Ragna said, not even looking back as the seven Black Beast nodded.

"search around for clues of the NOL branch." Dahlia said.

"then find the cauldron's PFD and destroy it." Sebastian finished.

"right. everyone, scatter and find info. we'll meet back at the docks."

at this, most of the Black Beasts scattered, however before they could, Ragna held them off. "wait. before you go..." when he said this, he turned towards Jubei's general direction and whistled loudly, startling the Cat-man.

"... Come on out. I know you're hiding somewhere over there." Ragna yelled nonchalantly.

"show yourself now and we won't make a scene." Sebastian added.

Jubei was at a loss for words. he was completely invisible to their detection. how did they manage to find him so easily.

"you have five seconds, or else... what will we do again?" the red girl asked mid sentence.

"start breaking things." Ragna addresses.

"Or else, we'll force you out!" Sebastian finished, pulling out his weapon and crashed the nearby wall to pieces with it.

"YEAH!" the girl agreed, pulling out a huge two handed sword form nowhere and swung, knocking down and hacking off many small trees, signs, and a street lamp.

"...ah shit." Jubei cursed at the recklessness of the group. before they could cause an even bigger scene, Jubei jumped out of his perch startling most of them.

"Heh, long time no see Master. What brings you here exactly?"

"well, well... i didn' know ya had it in ya to find me so easily." Jubei stated, glancing at the stoic yet wary man in front of him. "ya got some explain' t'do."

"About what exactly?" Ragna replied, not a hint of nervousness on his face, as if this was just a casual conversation.

"but first..." Jubei paused looking at the group behind him. "let's have a change 'n scenery, huh?"

"oh, um... sure thing."

* * *

a few minutes later...

Ragna, Jubei, and the Black Beasts Backtracked to the forest that was not too far from their previous location. adjusting to the new area, Jubei started first.

"So... Mind explainin' to me who yer friends are?"

"they're their own people, they can introduce themselves." Ragna stated, nodding at the group. to Jubei, he would've thought that he didn't want to say anything, but unbeknownst to him, that was essentially Ragna saying to them "he's trustworthy."

walking up to the cat man first, Sebastian was about to greet him, but before he could, Ragna held him back.

"wait." He said. "before they do, You have to promise to do two things."

"...fine. what is it?"

"first, that you won't tell ANYONE about who you're about to see."

"why?"

"just promise." Ragna slightly pleaded.

"...ugh. fine. what's yer other thing?" Jubei sighed, he's never seen Ragna so.. so like this.

"okay, the second one is that you won't freak out or get mad."

"...depends on the circumstances."

"Master please." there it was again. the pleading look, the certain tone in his voice. it feels... weird for him to see RAGNA of all people to pull that off. and for some reason... it was working.

"...okay, but I only promise t' try." Jubei stated. getting a sigh from Ragna.

"good enough I suppose." Ragna said, stepping back. "alright, go on ahead."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Jubei. I'm Sebastian." the Boy greeted first, holding out his left arm for a handshake, which Jubei took politely. "I heard so much about you!"

"nice t' meet ya too kid."

"hey guys, should i introduce you too or do you want to?" getting a slight pause as his answer, Kaguya stepped forward and whispered into his ear. "...really?...uh huh... okay then." a second later, Sebastian spoke up. "well, the short one is Ketsueki, Kets for short."

Pausing for a second, Sebastian looked between the two and came to a realization."...hey... now that I look at it, both of you look nearly identical to each other..."

"...what?" Jubei turned in curiosity, only to change into shock when he finds himself, Face to Face, with a nearly identical twin of himself. the only difference would be his color was completely different. Kets spoke a nice hearty meow in response to his shocked expression.

"well now we have three Cat people with us." Sebastian quipped. a slight poke gains his attention as Moka huffed in fake offense.

"Does Iago not count as one? I would assume so otherwise."

"...OH right. Sorry Iago. didn't mean to leave you out."

"no trouble at all Sebastian." said familiar spoke, his head peeking out of Moka's shadow.

"Speaking of which... I do believe you already met Moka." Sebastian gestured the brown haired girl behind him, who walked up to the stunned Cat with a slight curtsy.

"Moka? who T'hell-"

"we meet again, kitten. is the mutt still healing nicely?" she greeted, his attention shifted away from Sebastian to her.

"W-wha? YOU!?" the cat yelped, hand drawing out Musashi slightly.

"Calm yourself, alley cat. I have no intention of hostility this time."

"and then there's my sis Dahlia. hey sis, come here right quick!" Sebastian quipped, interrupting the declining conversation. when he got no answer, he strolled on over to her, picked her up, carried her over, and scratched behind her neck.

"AAH!?" the odd-color murakumo unit squealed, indicating that she was unconscious before... or maybe asleep? Jubei didn't care. what he was focused on was the plain as day MURAKUMO UNIT in front of him.

a murakumo unit that RAGNA has...

and made FRIENDS with...

"WHAT!?"

"Hi there Mr. Jubei!

"okay, you guys wanna do the rest?" Sebastian asked the remaining BBs.

"N-Now settle down kid, let me take all this in first."

"okay then." walking back a bit, Sebastian went off to do something else.

"So... You lot 'r Ragna's pals, huh?" jubei started, still getting his mind straight.

"yup, and that's not even all of us." Dahlia spoke, startling the cat due to her close proximity.

"N-not all of ya?"

"Hi! my name's Umbra." the next person greeted. looking over to her, Jubei nearly had a heart attack at the sight.

"K-Kokonoe!? What t' hell is going on!?" he thought, a slight poke on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts to the second to last member.

"And i'm-" Kaguya started.

"Nine?" He yelped, now gazing into the familiar face of his beloved.

"No, I'm Kaguya. sorry to disappoint." she sighed, internally knowing that something like this might happen.

"Ragna!" Jubei growled, slowly shifting to meet the male's gaze.

"But wait, there's more." the man in question replied with a bit of dramatic flare.

"MORE!? WHO!?" his only answer was Ragna pointing behind him. Glancing back, the One-Eyed Lotus was slightly surprised when was face to face with one more girl shrouded in a cloak of red. a girl who seemed more interested in his sword that the wielder by the look of it.

"Wha?"

"OOOh." the girl exclaimed in wonder. "Is this your weapon? It's a Nox Nyctores, right? What does it do!? Can anyone use it, or only you can? Does it have a mind of its own? Can I see it? Can I Can I Can I!?"

"Uh…" Jubei stammered, stepping back as he was gradually overwhelmed by the petite girl squealing in front of him.

"Oh sorry, i nearly forgot." she said, straightening herself a bit. "My name's Ruby. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, er' nice t' meet ya kid." He said, slightly turning to the oddly grinning criminal. "Now back to before…" he continued, steadily stalking to the titled Grim Reaper. A dark aura leaked from behind him, slightly alerting the rest of the Black Beasts due to the potent hostility it contained. What Jubei didn't account for, however, was Ragna countering his Aura with his own. The feeling was Darker, stronger…. And Frighteningly familiar to the former Hero.

Gulping awkwardly, Ragna gazed into the eyes of his former master. "Well... now that you've met everyone-" Ragna started, trying to ease the tension growing from the silence.

 **Swing**

 _miss_

"huh?" only to be stopped by dodging a hit from the white lotus a few seconds later, which seemed to befuddle the former hero.

"What?" Said Cat voiced, surprise filling his tone.

"Look, now I know there are a few… familiar… faces in the group, but that doesn't mean-"

"RAGNA! I don't know how ya got these kids t' work with ya,or where they came from, but I know fer damn sure that ya didn't play matchmaker t' second I left." Jubei cut him off. "An' don't give me some bullshit excuse either! What exactly happened after we part ways!?"

"Well, I've done some exploring, and I happened to meet them during my exploration."

"I said No Bullshit!"

"I'm not Bullshitting!" Ragna said. "Guys back me up here." he added.

"I doubt they'll agree to somethin' like-" Jubei claimed, but was slightly put off at what was said next.

"He's not lying." Sebastian, Ruby Dahlia and Umbra spoke simultaneously. The four then looked at each other oddly.

"We have encountered each other before, so I can concur with Ragna here." Moka adding on.

"Yup. He's not bullshitting." Umbra finished Kets and Kaguya nodding in confirmation.

"... oddly synchronized an' robotic for an answer, ya think?"

"LOOK. the point is, we're just going to Kagutsuchi and you came in just as we were basically about to get in, so either you have something to say or someone put you up to this." Ragna continued. "Now then Ma- no… Jubei, what brings you to our merry little group here?"

"... Ragna… something changed…. You've change…"

"Well, you're not exactly wrong about that." the ss criminal chuckled.

"But just a minute ago, you were… i don't even know what t' call that, before meeting yer little posse."

"That's because I knew there'd be at least some major reaction when you'd meet them. And I was thinking about a more… negative reaction than this."

"Plus you practically startled us." Sebastian continued.

"After you followed us for a bit." Dahlia added.

"Wait… ya'll knew I was there!?"

"Of course, we just didn't know it was you specifically." Moka answered. "Honestly, we'd thought miss Rachel would sick her pets on us."

"That's why I was surprised it was you; I thought it was Valkenhayn." Ragna added. "Either that or Tager."

"Tager? How'd ya know someon' like him?"

"It's kinda hard to ignore a walking talking fire hydrant in overalls with fangs trying to "stalk" us." Umbra deadpanned.

"...Touche."

"ANYWAYS, unless you have something else to say, we need to be going." Ragna said, standing up.

"W-wait a sec! How did ya get so much…. Like this!?"

"... Why do you wanna know so badly?" he replied.

"Because it doesn't make-" Jubei paused, catching the artificial arm… glowing before it abruptly stopped.

"...Did your Azure grimoire just glow?"

"What're you talking about now?" Ragna quickly stated,a bit too quickly, which seemed to all but confirmed the sneaking suspicion Jubei had for a second.

"Dammit Boy, What'd I tell Ya about the Azure Grimoire!?"

"It's not like that!"

"It's Controllin' Ya, Isn't it!? Is it controllin' everyone here!?"

"No it's not-."

"Then Why was it glowin' like that? Explain that!"

"Oh for the love of, we don't have time for this!"

"Ragna." Kaguya interrupted. "Sylpheed and Seraph have fully charged."

"Good. everyone, we're leaving."

"RAGNA!"

"Look, next time we meet, I'll talk a bit more, but here's a tidbit for you." Ragna said, the Black beasts gathering into one group. A green and white glyph formed under their feet.

"I'm not alone in this war anymore." and with that, the entire group disappeared in a flash of light.

Silence befell the lone former hero as he tried to comprehend his pupil's cryptic message.

"Not alone in this war anymore? Where t' hell did he get that from?" Jubei asked in wonder, slightly turning towards the sound of a rift opening up. "An' what's t' occasion this time, old friend?" He asked, looking at the now almost healed Valkenhayn, standing next to an open portal.

"Milady has sent me to retrieve you." the Lycanthrope answered, stepping slightly to the side. "Shall we?" nodding in acceptance, both former heroes entered the portal.

* * *

"Well that was close." Umbra said, the group disoriented by the after-effects of the teleporting.

"I felt like that conversation was leading to nowhere."

"Well then, due to that minor setback, we just have to speed up our search." Ragna stated. "That changes nothing."

"...so what next? Do we still split up?"

"Hey guys." Sebastian added, gaining everyone's attention as he pointed ahead of him. "What's that ahead of us?"

Looking at where he was pointing, Ragna smirked at the familiar Portal opening up in front of the group.

* * *

A few Minutes prior...

"What the hell do you mean by that!?" Kokonoe screamed, chucking a random object at her father.

"I mean, that something's made Ragna that strong. And I'm Sure t' Azure Grimoire's got somethin' to do with it."Jubei said, side-stepping away from the random object.

"Well, if that's the case, then it's somewhat easier for us." Kagura chimed in, getting stares from both cats.

"...explain."

"If the Azure Grimore's the problem, and Ragna's the only one with the grimoire, then all we gotta do is isolate and flank him." Kagura continued. "I'm sure you've at least have something that can counter siether, or at least an idea."

"Hmm… i'd hate to say it, but Mizuki's got a point. If I can get an approximate measure of his growth in power, then I can make something that should be able to contain it, at least long enough to catch him."

"You lot make it sound like you're hunting the man." Rachel added, gaining everyone's attention.

"...I mean techni-"

"Dear lord, you actually were thinking about it? I know, he's a criminal and all, but even this treatment seems a little bit unfair."

"And what would you rather have us do, Hmm?" Kokonoe snarked. " Last time i checked you were even more curious than i was about his power spike."

"All i am saying is that your plan sounds like you want to kill him, I am still curious, but I'd rather observe him alive for that."

"Then what do you think we should do Ms. Alucard?" Kagura asked.

"I shall dispatch Valkenhayn ahead of me before I attempt to talk to him myself; our teleportation magic should suffice in finding him."

"But if my shitty dad barely got anything out of him-"

"Hey!"

"What makes you any better?"

"I have my methods." was the last thing Rachel said, before forming a portal behind herself. Walking through, she looked back at the group one more time before entering.

* * *

"Wanting to continue our previous conversation, do you?" Ragna said, smirking at the now emerging Vampire. "And here I thought you were just gonna sit back and relax in your palace."

"Whatever gave you that implication?" Rachel quipped fully emerging from the portal as it closed with Valkenhayn, Nago and Gii behind her. Slightly looking to Moka, she hid her curious surprise "she really does look like me…" she thought.

"So these are the treacherous Black Beasts i've heard about?" Nago quipped.

"There's so many of them." Gii continued.

"We'd appreciate it if you don't send out your servants ahead of time." Kaguya addressed, "it was a chore tempering with the Lycanthrope's magic."

"...that would explain why he's here with me." looking over to the werewolf.

"Forgive me milady, I tried to pursue them ahead of time, but I wasn't able to make a portal near them until you arrived just now."

"Now that all of you are together now, what do you guys want?" Sebastian said.

"We're here because we require information." she answered.

"Information? For what exactly?"

"About you lot of course."

"For real!?" Ruby yipped. "I didn't know we were that famous!"

"More like infamous…" Ragna mumbled. "Well sorry, Rae-Rae, but we're kind of in a hurry. So if you'll excuse us…" he said, gesturing everyone to go around them.

"W-what? Rae-Rae?" she whispered, a light blush forming on her face. Composing herself, and smacking around a chuckling Gii, she turned to the fleeting group. "Halt. i am not finished with this conversation."

"Indeed!" Valkenhayn continued, ready to halt the group himself. "Come back here and apologize for speaking such-" he was interrupted by a shard of hail narrowly missing his face.

"I'd rather not have to cripple a poor animal again, so i'll let that be your only warning shot." Moka said, lowering her parasol as the whole group turning to the two.

"How dare you!" he snarled, eyes narrowing.

"How dare you, ya mangy bloodhound!" Umbra growled, turning to Rachel. "Hey bunny girl. How about you calm your pooch down?"

"Watch your tongue you Cur!" Nago growled, fangs and claws bared.

"How about you watch yours." Iago hissed, rising out from Moka's shadow with Phi right beside him.

"Yeah, or I'll rip it off!" Phi added. Both servants bared their own fangs and claws.

"Iago, Phi, stand down." Moka sighed. Both servants instantly complying with her order.

"Look, Rachel," Ragna said, regaining the attention. "we really need to continue, so whatever it is, could it wait?"

"Why are you so insistent on prolonging any conversation?"

"Because we know someone's after us." Kaguya answered. "if it's not the observer herself, then it's Sector Seven."

"While you're not exactly wrong, I have originally came with no hostile intentions whatsoever."

"Hmm… How about this?" Ragna replied. "We do what we gotta do first, then when we get some free time, we'll sit down and chat, Cool?"

"..." the Vampire stayed silent deep in thought. After a few seconds, she answered. "Only if you answer my questions truthfully."

"Of course."

"Hmm…" she scoped through him and the rest of his group, trying to detect any form of lie from their claim. After a full minute of inspecting, she silently nods, finding no signs of deceit whatsoever.

"...very well then, i shall hold you to it." she said. "But if you forget, then power up or not, i will punish your neglectfulness." she said, turning away from the group. "Come Valkenhayn." with that, the observer and former hero left in a vortex of shadows and roses.

"Great. Now we have them looking over our shoulders." Umbra moaned. "Can anything go right today!?"

"Hey guys! I found this catgirl in the alleyway ahead!" Sebastian said, the team looking to him a bit of feet away, looking in the direction of the alley in front of him. "I think she's giving me the stinkeye!"

* * *

"Sho…*Chew* thish ish… *Munch* Tahokhakha…" Sebastian warbled his mouth stuffed with food.

"Sebastian, don't talk with your mouth full." Kaguya scorned, the aforementioned male swallowed all of his food before mumbling an apology. "That goes to you to, young lady!" she continued this time aimed at Tao herself.

"Sorry booby lady#2!" Tao replied, then got right back to eating.

"So what's a member of the Kaka clan doing in a place like this?" Ragna asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm hunting Rawrgnya the Bloodedge and his Black Beasts!" she answered, shoveling another bundle of meat buns in her mouth. Unbeknownst to her, or maybe she just ignored it, some of the Black Beasts themselves snickered quietly at this.

"Oh really?" he replied. I know that Tao's not the sharpest cat in the clan, but I feel like this is a bit insulting...

"Just be glad that your disguises work here to the common eye." The (Real) Black beast said. "Lord knows what'd happen if people found out who you are now."

True to the beast's word, the group's attires were drastically different from what they wore before.

Ragna's attire barely changed at all with the only acception being that his red jacket was tied to his waist and fake glasses adorned his face. Sebastian's garb consisted of a simple black shirt under a red vest with black cargo pants to match. Dahlia's clothing was an old looted NOL uniform that was adjusted to her size which seems to have her mistaken for someone else…

Kaguya wore a long violet robe with silver accents, her hat sat off to the side. Umbra wore a black and white striped sweater and shorts, adorned with sandals and gloves. Ketsueki wore a simple Yukata with a Black and gold lotus design.

"Soo…" Umbra started, bringing back the conversation. "What happens now?"

"Well, We kind of have some time to lose… hey Tao." he called over to the Kaka clan member.

"Hmm?"

"You know a place we can go to pass the time?"

* * *

 **TBC**


End file.
